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Xbox's Games With Gold subscription service has come a long way. At the start of the generation, Games With Gold offered very few AAA titles, its game lineups paling in comparison to Sony's PlayStation Plus counterpart. Over the last couple of years however, Microsoft's service has seen a very noticeable rise in quality.

The World of Warcraft is an expansive universe. You're playing the game, you're fighting the bosses, you know the how -- but do you know the why? Each week, Matthew Rossi and Anne Stickney make sure you Know Your Lore by covering the history of the story behind World of Warcraft.

He has successfully managed to close the Dark Portal three times now -- an astounding feat, no matter which way you look at it. As former apprentice to the Guardian of Tirisfal, Khadgar has had a long and storied life -- a life lived fast forward, that now seems to be traveling in reverse. If we've learned anything about Khadgar so far in Warlords of Draenor, it's that this mystery mage has far more up his sleeve than any of us would have guessed upon our first meeting with the mage in Shattrath City during Burning Crusade.

He's lively. He's peppy. He's downright snarky at times, and full to the brim with witty banter and wittier planning. Khadgar is a man of many talents, the least of which involves the destruction of Dark Portals and the ushering of armies. And in between all these madcap adventures, one has to wonder if Khadgar ever imagined, at age seventeen, staring at the tower of Karazhan, just exactly what he would spend his life getting into and out of as gracefully as any dancer on Azeroth.
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adalalliance-expeditionanduin-lothardark-portaldraenorfeaturedguideguide-to-loreguldankhadgarknow your lorelorelore-guidemedivhnerzhulnethergarde-keepoutlandrole-playrole-playing-guiderp-guideshatarshattrathshattrath-citysons-of-lotharworld-of-warcraft-lorewow-guidewow-lorewow-role-playingwow-role-playing-guidewow-rpwow-rp-guidewow-rpingSun, 30 Nov 2014 20:00:00 -050099|21000537https://www.joystiq.com/2014/09/20/outland-switches-platforms-absorbs-bullets-on-steam/https://www.joystiq.com/2014/09/20/outland-switches-platforms-absorbs-bullets-on-steam/https://www.joystiq.com/2014/09/20/outland-switches-platforms-absorbs-bullets-on-steam/#comments

Resogun developer Housemarque's platforming, bullet-dodging hybrid Outland will make its way to Steam on September 29. A related post on Housemarque's blog notes that in addition to Outland's campaign co-op, the port will include "a revamped checkpoint system," which should be helpful for those going against flowing, tone-changing bullet patterns for the first time.

Outland's intricate, dangerous environments first appeared on PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade in April of 2011, and while Editor-In-Chief Ludwig Kietzmann wished the co-op had altered the experience in a meaningful way, his review concluded that Outland "succeeds where it counts."

The World of Warcraft is an expansive universe. You're playing the game, you're fighting the bosses, you know the how -- but do you know the why? Each week, Matthew Rossi and Anne Stickney make sure you Know Your Lore by covering the history of the story behind World of Warcraft.

We don't really know much about Draenor. Certainly we know plenty about Outland, the shattered remains of a world once called Draenor, but that shattered world is a mere remnant of what Draenor actually was. In the Warcraft cosmos, the only planet we are incredibly familiar with is Azeroth -- and even then, Azeroth holds plenty of mysteries and riddles that have yet to be solved. But Draenor bears very little resemblance to Azeroth, touted instead as a savage land on which we'll have to fight to survive.

That statement is far more literal than you'd think. And if you thought the Iron Horde was the biggest problem we were going to face on Draenor, you'd be very, very wrong. In a universe of benevolent Titans, bastions of order, what makes a planet fight not just with aggressive invading forces, but itself?

Please note: The following Know Your Lore contains spoilers for Warlords of Draenor.

Today's Know Your Lore is a Tinfoil Hat edition. The following contains speculation based on known material. These speculations are merely theories and shouldn't be taken as fact or official lore.
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azerothdark-portaldraeneidraenoremerald-dreamfeaturedgarrosh-hellscreamgorgrondgronnguideguide-to-loreknow your lorelorelore-guidemagnaronogreorcorgronoutlandrole-playrole-playing-guiderp-guidewarlords of draenorwarlords-of-draenorwarlords-of-draenor-betaworld-of-warcraft-lorewow-guidewow-lorewow-role-playingwow-role-playing-guidewow-rpwow-rp-guidewow-rpingSun, 20 Jul 2014 20:00:00 -040099|20933671https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/07/17/warlords-of-draenors-talador-is-at-the-heart-of-the-draenei-civ/https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/07/17/warlords-of-draenors-talador-is-at-the-heart-of-the-draenei-civ/https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/07/17/warlords-of-draenors-talador-is-at-the-heart-of-the-draenei-civ/#comments

Talador is the predecessor to what eventually becomes Outland's Terokkar Forest, and while players will see familiar sights like Shattrath, it won't be quite as they remember. The area is a warzone as the Iron Horde has besieged it, and players must do all they can to push back the wave of invaders.

"Talador is home to the heart of Draenei civilization," Blizzard writes. "It is stunningly beautiful, and the zone has a palette of oranges, golds, and greens that make it incredibly vibrant. The zone really showcases the breadth of Draenei life: the sprawling trade hub of Shattrath, the massive mausoleum that is Auchindoun, the iconic city of Tuurem, the mythical Telmor (it does exist!), and so many others."

In 1999, Blizzard Entertainment was well on its way to becoming something of a titan in the PC gaming space. Riding high on hits like Diablo, Warcraft II, and the barely-a-year-old StarCraft, Blizzard had established itself as a purveyor of quirky, well-made, and entertaining games mostly of the RTS variety.

However, something else was brewing behind closed doors at Blizzard's Irvine campus. While sequels to Warcraft, StarCraft, and Diablo were all in development (and hotly anticipated), the company had also quietly started work on a brand-new massively-multiplayer online game set in one of the studio's existing game universes. That game, of course, was World of Warcraft. And nine years ago tomorrow, it completely changed the face of MMO gaming.
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action-rpgactivisionanniversariesanniversaryarthasbattlenetbetablizzardblizzard-entertainmentblizzconburningcrusadecash-shopcataclysmd3diablodiablo-2diablo-3diablo-iidiablo-iiidraneorevents (massively's coverage)expansionexpansionsfantasyfeaturedgothic-fantasyhistorymists-of-pandariammo industrymmorpgmultiplayernine-yearsonline-multiplayeroutlandpvepvproguelikerpgstarcraftstarcraft-iiisubscriberssubscriptionsubscriptionsvanillavanilla-wowwarcraftwarcraft-iiwarcraft-iiiwarlords-of-draenorworld of warcraftworld-of-warcraftwowwrath-of-the-lich-kingFri, 22 Nov 2013 16:05:00 -0500319|20774391https://wow.joystiq.com/2013/11/15/warlords-of-draenor-and-the-absence-of-aggra/https://wow.joystiq.com/2013/11/15/warlords-of-draenor-and-the-absence-of-aggra/https://wow.joystiq.com/2013/11/15/warlords-of-draenor-and-the-absence-of-aggra/#comments

Let me tell you a little about my sister. My sister is married, in her thirties, and has four children -- all boys -- ranging from four to sixteen. Her house is a wild cacophony of boys being boys and the calls of various animals that she's acquired. It's a mini-farm, if you will, full of chickens, goats, pigs, dogs, cats, a couple of snakes, and possibly a species or two that I've missed. In addition to raising four boys with her husband, she also owns her own business. She runs her own grooming company here in town, and is both the sole employee and owner, successful enough that she's usually booked for at least a month out, if not more.

In addition to that, she runs two Renaissance festivals a year, hauls her family to regular camp-outs with the faire crew, regularly plays D&D with the gang, and knows how to shoot a longbow and a black powder rifle (and is a pretty good shot with both of them), along with cannons and trebuchets. She's a dab hand at cooking at home and over a campfire out in the wild, knows how to kill, gut and butcher just about anything, and how to tan and stretch a hide. On top of all that, I've heard she's a marvel at breaking up fights, reading bedtime stories, wiping tears from faces, kissing boo-boo's away, and snuggling in the mornings when little ones are sleepy and grumpy about getting up for school.

And god help anyone that comes between her and her family.

I'm telling you this story not to brag about my sister, although I love her very dearly, but to make a point that seems to have been sorely missed somewhere in the story of Warcraft. My sister isn't just a wife and mother. She's a warrior. She's a fighter. She's a spark of ferocity that will not be quenched. Where is her counterpart in Warcraft? That's a really good question.
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aggraanalysis / opinionblizzconblizzcon-2013blizzcon-panelscataclysmdraenorfriggagaradargoelmists-of-pandariamotherhoodorcsoutlandpandariashamansunwalker-dezcothorthrallvereesa-windrunnerwarcraft-adventure-continueswarlords-of-draenorwarriorsworld-of-warcraftFri, 15 Nov 2013 09:00:00 -050099|20768677https://wow.joystiq.com/2013/10/13/know-your-lore-the-fate-of-garrosh-hellscream/https://wow.joystiq.com/2013/10/13/know-your-lore-the-fate-of-garrosh-hellscream/https://wow.joystiq.com/2013/10/13/know-your-lore-the-fate-of-garrosh-hellscream/#comments

The World of Warcraft is an expansive universe. You're playing the game, you're fighting the bosses, you know the how -- but do you know the why? Each week, Matthew Rossi and Anne Stickney make sure you Know Your Lore by covering the history of the story behind World of Warcraft.

In a recent edition of The Queue, one of our readers asked a question regarding the fate of Garrosh Hellscream in patch 5.4. It was a question that many players have actually been asking ever since Garrosh's fate was revealed. In the interests of avoiding spoilers, I won't mention that fate here, but be forewarned that this edition of Know Your Lore is chock full of spoilers for patch 5.4 that discuss the situation in full.

Garrosh Hellscream's journey began as leader-in-training for a remote, tiny village in Outland. Clouded with shame over his father's misdeeds, Garrosh was listless, depressed, and convinced that he was destined to lead his people down the same dark path that his father had. In the years following his introduction, Garrosh has discovered his father's heroic sacrifice, strove to live up to his name, eagerly sought to strengthen the Horde, and then promptly fulfilled his own sad vision of the future, leading his "True Horde" down a path of darkness that eerily echoed the familiar refrain of the Old Horde from so long ago.

Please note: There are spoilers for patch 5.4 immediately following the break. If you are avoiding spoiler content for the Siege of Orgrimmar, run away!
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alliancedivine-bellfeaturedgaradargarrosh-hellscreamgrom-hellscreamguideguide-to-lorehordejaina-proudmooreknow your lorelorelore-guidemists-of-pandariamoguoutlandpandariarole-playrole-playing-guiderp-guideshasiege-of-orgrimmartaran-zhutheramorethrallvarian-wrynnworld-of-warcraft-lorewow-guidewow-lorewow-role-playingwow-role-playing-guidewow-rpwow-rp-guidewow-rpingyshaarjSun, 13 Oct 2013 20:00:00 -040099|20743874https://wow.joystiq.com/2013/10/07/warcraft-as-a-whole-story-balance-between-rts-and-mmo/https://wow.joystiq.com/2013/10/07/warcraft-as-a-whole-story-balance-between-rts-and-mmo/https://wow.joystiq.com/2013/10/07/warcraft-as-a-whole-story-balance-between-rts-and-mmo/#comments

I was perusing the forums (like you do) when I came across this forum thread from poster Xewie, and I found it an interesting place to start thinking from. Xewie's points aren't entirely ones I agree with - I frankly found Mists of Pandaria one of the richest expansions in terms of lore and story and feel that anyone who dismisses it simply because there are pandaren in it is deliberately and willfully blinding themselves to an excellent ride with some astonishing highs and lows - but there's a certain truth in the points about the RTS vs. WoW itself. As others (including our own Michael Sacco) have pointed out, Garrosh Hellscream is really one of the first big lore characters we've had in World of Warcraft who was born in the MMO, evolved over its course and became a faction leader and finally an end villain.

I think part of the problem is that the RTS features these characters, so even when it kills a few (like Terenas Menethil) it offers up a few more. But the MMO features us, ultimately, so when we put down Lady Vashj or Arthas, there's no immediate replacement. To be sure, there have in fact been tons of new faces over the course of World of Warcraft - Ragnaros, C'thun, Nefarian were all first introduced in classic WoW, not the RTS. The problem is, we introduce these characters and then, well, we dispatch them. Sometimes, like Ragnaros, our first encounter with them isn't a final one, but even if we know they'll eventually be back, it's not like their luck will hold out forever. I called this the "Joker problem" once, and to a degree I think it is an issue for the MMO.

However, does it follow that we need an RTS to create stories? Since I think Mists of Pandaria did an amazing job of building up the story, and in fact I'm really much more of a Cataclysm booster than most, I don't agree with that idea. In fact, in many ways, WoW has done more to broaden and expand the Warcraft setting than the RTS ever did.
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analysis / opinionazerothblizzardcataclysmcthundraenorgarrosh-hellscreamloremists of pandariammoold-godsoutlandragnarosrtsthe burning crusadevarok-saurfangwarcraftwarcraft-iwarcraft-iiwarcraft-iiiwowwrath of the lich kingyoggsaronMon, 07 Oct 2013 18:00:00 -040099|20739271https://wow.joystiq.com/2013/09/29/know-your-lore-tfh-edition-heroes-of-the-storm/https://wow.joystiq.com/2013/09/29/know-your-lore-tfh-edition-heroes-of-the-storm/https://wow.joystiq.com/2013/09/29/know-your-lore-tfh-edition-heroes-of-the-storm/#comments

The World of Warcraft is an expansive universe. You're playing the game, you're fighting the bosses, you know the how -- but do you know the why? Each week, Matthew Rossi and Anne Stickney make sure you Know Your Lore by covering the history of the story behind World of Warcraft.

Since The Dark Below was unveiled as a hoax -- or at the very least, a trademark that hasn't actually been filed -- players are still curious about the question of the next expansion. And now we have a new trademark supposedly filed, titled Heroes of the Storm. Let's face it -- we still don't know if this is real. We don't know if it's Warcraft, or if it's tied to some other franchise. We don't know if it's an expansion title, or perhaps some new thing that simply hasn't been announced yet.

But let's put all that aside for a moment and take a look at the title and what it means in relation to Warcraft. If this is, somehow, the title for the next expansion, what exactly would that expansion entail? The Burning Crusade, Wrath of the Lich King, Cataclysm, Mists of Pandaria -- all of these titles seemed to straightforwardly suggest what the expansion itself was going to be about. So what does Heroes of the Storm imply?

Today's Know Your Lore is a Tinfoil Hat edition, meaning the following is a look into what has gone before with pure speculation on how it happened. These speculations are merely theories and shouldn't be taken as fact or official lore.
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alleria-windrunneralliance-expeditionazsharadraenorfeaturedgilneasguideguide-to-loreheroes-of-the-stormknow your lorelady-nazjarlordaeronlorelore-guideneptulonoutlandrole-playrole-playing-guiderp-guidesylvanas-windrunnerthrone-of-the-tidesturalyonvalley-of-heroesvarian-wrynnworld-of-warcraft-lorewow-guidewow-lorewow-role-playingwow-role-playing-guidewow-rpwow-rp-guidewow-rpingwrathionSun, 29 Sep 2013 20:00:00 -040099|20732357https://wow.joystiq.com/2013/09/05/leveling-a-time-capsule/https://wow.joystiq.com/2013/09/05/leveling-a-time-capsule/https://wow.joystiq.com/2013/09/05/leveling-a-time-capsule/#comments

I still remember the first day I played this game on live servers, even though it's been nearly nine years since I looked at the login screen and tried to muddle out what to pick. Friends of mine had already made an Alliance guild and encouraged me to join them. When I mentioned I wanted to play a rogue, I was told that they really needed healers, not rogues. However, my friend suggested I roll a druid, as they could not only heal, but they could turn into a cat and stealth around like a rogue does. That seemed suitable to me, so I rolled a night elf druid, logged in and began to play.

Several months and sixty levels later, that experience remains full of fond memories of endless frustration with the class and how it played. It absolutely did not help that giant improvements for that class were rolled out in a patch shortly after I hit 60. I rolled Horde, and the rest is history ... or it was, anyway. The druid remained at level 60, years after I hit 70, 80, 85 and 90, frozen in a distinct period of time. Several months ago, while idly looking at the login screen and pondering what to play, I decided to actually level the druid and get it caught up. Furthermore, I decided to make the trip without heirloom gear -- after all, it didn't exist when I originally played the character.

This is the story of a peculiar alt that used to be a main, and what happens when you crack open a time capsule from 2005.
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analysis / opinionarmor-setsburning-crusadecataclysmcataclysm-changesdruiddungeon-set-oneeastern-plaguelandsheirloom-gearlevel-60levelingleveling-challengeleveling-changesnathanos-blightcallernostalgiaold-world-revampoutlandstratholmetransmogrificationvanilla-nostalgiavanilla-wowwildheartwildheart-raimentThu, 05 Sep 2013 20:00:00 -040099|20713152https://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/10/the-queue-another-monday/https://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/10/the-queue-another-monday/https://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/10/the-queue-another-monday/#comments

Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Alex Ziebart will be your host today.

Welcome back to another Monday edition of The Queue, where I stare at my work in panic because nobody likes asking questions on Sunday!

Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Alex Ziebart will be your host today.

In yesterday's edition of The Queue, there seemed to be more questions about the next expansion than the current one. Since the next expansion hasn't even been announced yet, there isn't much we can do with those, but we sure can try.

Joey4 asked:

weapon models to me seem to go by expansion theme, wrath had a dark cold look especially on greens and mists had the Asian theme, do you think we will see awesome looking models again like BC xpac had in the next xpac?
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draeneidraenorhearthstonenext-expansionoutlandthe queuewarcraft-movieWed, 15 May 2013 11:00:00 -040099|20570107https://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/13/outland-and-bloodrayne-betrayal-free-with-playstation-plus-tomor/https://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/13/outland-and-bloodrayne-betrayal-free-with-playstation-plus-tomor/https://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/13/outland-and-bloodrayne-betrayal-free-with-playstation-plus-tomor/#comments

Two excellent side-scrollers will be yours tomorrow if you happen to be a PlayStation Plus member. Bloodrayne: Betrayal and Outland are the two latest additions to the "Instant Game Collection," the initiative announced at E3 to stuff your PS3 full of quality games for no additional cost beyond the price of membership.

The games will remain available to you once downloaded for as long as you have an active Plus account.
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bloodrayne-betrayaloutlandplaystationplaystation-plusps3psnMon, 13 Aug 2012 14:20:00 -040011|20299729https://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/08/beyond-good-and-evil-outland-from-dust-triple-pack-this-septembe/https://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/08/beyond-good-and-evil-outland-from-dust-triple-pack-this-septembe/https://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/08/beyond-good-and-evil-outland-from-dust-triple-pack-this-septembe/#commentsThe Beyond Good & Evil HD, From Dust and Outland retail triple pack of downloadable games will be available September 21 in Europe.Eurogamer reports confirmation from Ubisoft that the bundle will be available for Xbox 360, but there's no mention of a PS3 version.

The retail compilation has popped up a couple times during the year, with Ubisoft not commenting until now. On that note, we've reached out to Ubisoft US about the game coming stateside, but haven't heard back.
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beyond-good-and-evil-hdfrom-dustmicrosoftoutlandubisoftxboxWed, 08 Aug 2012 04:00:00 -040011|20295029https://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/20/ubisofts-bgande-outland-from-dust-triple-pack-leaks-box-art/https://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/20/ubisofts-bgande-outland-from-dust-triple-pack-leaks-box-art/https://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/20/ubisofts-bgande-outland-from-dust-triple-pack-leaks-box-art/#commentsThe next triple pack treatment is that much closer to being announced. Amazon UK has leaked some box art for the Ubisoft Xbox Live Hits Collection, which places Beyond Good & Evil HD, From Dust and Outland on one retail disc. It's a bittersweet proposition, since we all remember what happened the last time Ubisoft put Beyond Good & Evil on a disc.

If this all seems familiar, it's probably because just about the same thing happened back in January. The emergence of the box art, visible to the left, lends more credence toward this being a real official thing we can buy on this planet with our human money.

The new anomaly is that the Amazon UK listing, which prices the triple pack at £17.99, only lists it for Xbox 360 – no PS3 version can be found. Even though we expect the boilerplate response from Ubisoft, we've still asked for more information.
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amazonbeyond-good-and-evil-hdfrom-dustmicrosoftoutlandubisoftubisoft-xbox-live-hits-collectionxboxWed, 20 Jun 2012 22:30:00 -040011|20262940https://wow.joystiq.com/2012/06/18/saying-goodbye-to-cataclysm/https://wow.joystiq.com/2012/06/18/saying-goodbye-to-cataclysm/https://wow.joystiq.com/2012/06/18/saying-goodbye-to-cataclysm/#comments

I remember the first time I saw the trailer for Cataclysm. I will cheerfully admit I totally flipped out over it, largely because I was so excited to see Deathwing make a return. I've always been fond of the Dragon Aspects, and I was looking forward to an expansion that featured them in a way they'd never been featured before. We'd seen Alexstrasza and Ysera, of course, but with Malygos dead and Nozdormu missing, I knew something interesting had to happen on both of those fronts.

The expansion itself was different than I'd expected, to be perfectly honest. Cataclysm wasn't exactly a bad expansion, really, and the old world quest revamp as well as flight being added were both welcome additions. But Cataclysm lacked the spark previous expansions had, and I can't quite put my finger on why, exactly. Despite the fact that it didn't knock The Burning Crusade out of first place on my list of favorite expansions, there's still something I'm going to miss about Cataclysm once we're wandering Pandaria.

Since Adam took a long look back yesterday, I thought it would be nice to look forward today. The above audio clip is the Sha of Hatred, one of the big threats of Mists of Pandaria. It's interesting to realize how much voice work there is in Mists. The game is definitely moving forward.

OnyxElders5124 asked:

After previous expansions launched, how long was it before prior xpacs contents exp requirements were nerfed?

This was already answered, but to confirm it, patch 4.3 was the patch that lowered the XP needed to level through Northrend and improved dungeon quest flow for both Outland and Northrend dungeons. I'm not sure which patch lowered the XP needed to level in Outland, although this forum thread on Wowhead seems to indicate it was in place by November of 2008. That would mean Patch 3.0.3, the major content patch for Wrath of the Lich King, or slightly before that.

What we can take from this is that Blizzard doesn't have a set pattern for nerfing old content's XP requirements. The devs do it when they think it's warranted, no sooner, no later.
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analysis / opinioncataclysmdragon-soulfeaturedguidelevelingmists of pandarianorth carolinanorthcarolinaoutlandqaquestion-and-answerthe burning crusadethe queuewow-answerswow-daily-answerswow-daily-questionswow-guidewow-player-questionswow-q-and-awow-questionswrath of the lich kingWed, 06 Jun 2012 11:00:00 -040099|20252549https://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/19/breakfast-topic-do-you-like-a-little-sci-fi-in-your-fantasy/https://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/19/breakfast-topic-do-you-like-a-little-sci-fi-in-your-fantasy/https://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/19/breakfast-topic-do-you-like-a-little-sci-fi-in-your-fantasy/#comments

There were things about Burning Crusade that I really, really loved. Shattered planets in the sky, and ethereals running around ... it was not the same old fantasy thing. But as we talked to the community, certainly a lot of folks around the office were just like "I don't know man, I just wanna have gnolls and kobolds and run around in a pretty forest -- that's what fantasy is to me." -- Chris Metzen, BlizzCon 2011 Lore and Story Q&A

I have read a metric ton of books in my lifetime -- I've always been a reader. When I was in elementary school, I started out with the classics, books that were on various best of all time lists. When I got to middle school, that's when I really started to home in on sci-fi and fantasy books. There was always something incredibly intriguing about science fiction, and fantasy was just a fantastic romp into things that by all rights simply don't exist and never will.

But my favorite books were the ones that managed to seamlessly blend that fantasy feel with the futuristic feel of science fiction. It's not easy to take those two concepts and mesh them together, but I always loved finding an author who could pull it off. When Blizzard announced The Burning Crusade, I had no idea really what an expansion was -- when I learned it was a continuation of the story, I was delighted. When I discovered it was going to take place on another planet, I was intrigued. And the more I heard about The Burning Crusade, the more excited I was, because it seemed like this fantasy-grounded Warcraft universe I'd so fallen in love with was making that jump to the mesh of sci-fi and fantasy that I adore.

The Burning Crusade still ranks as my favorite expansion largely for that reason. I loved the gorgeously alien world and bizarre technology and how it clicked in with what Warcraft was all about. So I was a little disappointed at Chris Metzen's statement during the Lore and Story Q&A at BlizzCon last year, and I wondered just how many people have a defined version of what fantasy is? What science fiction is? How many love seeing the two collide like I do?

So I'm throwing the question out to you guys: Do you like a little sci-fi in your fantasy? Does the thought of axe-wielding barbarians fighting epic battles in space appeal? Or do you prefer your fantasy and science fiction separate, your Warcraft alien-free?World of Warcraft: Cataclysm has destroyed Azeroth as we know it; nothing is the same! In WoW Insider's Guide to Cataclysm, you can find out everything you need to know about WoW's third expansion, from leveling up a new goblin or worgen to breaking news and strategies on endgame play.
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blizzconblizzcon-2011breakfast topicsburning-crusadefantasylore-and-story-qaoutlandsci-fisci-fi-and-fantasyscience-fictionworld-of-warcraftThu, 19 Apr 2012 08:00:00 -040099|20218280https://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/20/play-com-lists-ubisoft-triple-pack-containing-beyond-good-and/https://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/20/play-com-lists-ubisoft-triple-pack-containing-beyond-good-and/https://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/20/play-com-lists-ubisoft-triple-pack-containing-beyond-good-and/#comments

Play.com's pre-order price of £14.99 equates to roughly $23, although no listings currently exist for the Triple Pack on any of the usual US retailers' websites. We've contacted Ubisoft for clarification regarding the collection's availability and pricing, but we feel safe in assuming that it'll cost more than $1 and less than $100 million, and that it'll be available in a country somewhere on this specific planet.

When you're making the obligatory "things I'm thankful for" speech around the table this Thanksgiving, you may silently include Sony among the honorees. From tomorrow through November 28, the publisher is holding a Fall Sale on PSN that drops some recent releases into temptingly affordable territory.

Limbo will be $10.49 (just $7.34 for PS Plus members) during the sale; the lovely Outland is down to $6.99 ($4.89 for Plus); and Might & Magic Clash of Heroes HD drops to just $10.49 ($7.34 for Plus). Find the full list after the break, and don't actually thank Sony out loud when you're at the dinner table. Your relatives already think you're weird enough.
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akimi-villageblack-fridayblack-friday-2011dungeon-hunter-alliancefall-salegalaga-legions-dxgatling-gearslimbomight-and-magic-clash-of-heroesmight-and-magic-clash-of-heroes-hdoutlandplaystationplaystation-move-ape-escapeps3psnsection-8-prejudicethe-fancy-pants-adventuresMon, 21 Nov 2011 16:30:00 -050011|20111386https://www.joystiq.com/2011/09/27/xbox-live-marketplace-sales-bonanza-starting-today/https://www.joystiq.com/2011/09/27/xbox-live-marketplace-sales-bonanza-starting-today/https://www.joystiq.com/2011/09/27/xbox-live-marketplace-sales-bonanza-starting-today/#comments

Microsoft is taking a set of sharp blades and ravenously cutting prices across the board on Xbox Live Marketplace content, starting right now. Already inexpensive (and wonderful) title Outland will cost you a cool 400 MS Points ($5), while deep multiplayer fare like Monday Night Combat and Section 8: Prejudice are going for 600 MS Points ($7.50) and 800 MS Points ($10), respectively.

Also, hey, if you're not one of the over 2 million people who own and adore Trials HD, here's another chance to grab it on the cheap (600 MS Points/$7.50). It's unclear when the "Extreme Shopping" sale will end, so we've asked Microsoft for more info. For now, enjoy the sweet, sweet savings while you can.

Update: This post originally had ilomilo listed as on sale for $5, which is false. Sorry about that!

We were sitting here feeling bad about Child of Eden -- those sales numbers really cut into the "hope and happiness" vibe we were getting from the game -- when we got some happier news about two other beautiful games published by Ubisoft.

In its fiscal Q1 2012 sales release (PDF), Ubisoft declared a 45% increase in "online sales," up to
€12.5 million. It highlighted two games as having "performed well": the XBLA versions of Outland and Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes. The PSN versions, of course, were unavailable for most of the quarter, and thus probably didn't do as well.
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microsoftmight-and-magic-clash-of-heroesmight-and-magic-clash-of-heroes-hdoutlandsalesubisoftxblaxboxWed, 20 Jul 2011 13:20:00 -040011|19995827https://www.joystiq.com/2011/06/06/outland-will-be-out-on-psn-june-14/https://www.joystiq.com/2011/06/06/outland-will-be-out-on-psn-june-14/https://www.joystiq.com/2011/06/06/outland-will-be-out-on-psn-june-14/#comments

Hey, PS3 owners! Remember Outland? Remember how great that sounded, and how excited you were to buy it -- right up until the PSN disappeared for over a month? Well, now you can relive all the thrill of the leadup to Housemarque's colorful platformer, followed by an actual opportunity to buy it!

A post on the PlayStation Blog reveals that Outland, originally due for release right when PSN went down, is now scheduled for release on June 14. You should run, slide, and jump ... to the store to buy some PSN credit.
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housemarqueoutlandplaystationps3psnq2-2011release-dateubisoftMon, 06 Jun 2011 01:30:00 -040011|19958763https://wow.joystiq.com/2011/06/05/know-your-lore-the-warcraft-cosmos-tinfoil-hat-edition/https://wow.joystiq.com/2011/06/05/know-your-lore-the-warcraft-cosmos-tinfoil-hat-edition/https://wow.joystiq.com/2011/06/05/know-your-lore-the-warcraft-cosmos-tinfoil-hat-edition/#comments

The World of Warcraft is an expansive universe. You're playing the game, you're fighting the bosses, you know the how -- but do you know the why? Each week, Matthew Rossi and Anne Stickney make sure you Know Your Lore by covering the history of the story behind World of Warcraft.

Last week, we wrapped up the second half of the Warcraft cosmos series and covered the additional planes of existence within the Warcraft universe. These layers of planes and the way they interlock is a tricky topic that, quite frankly, gives most people a headache when they think about it too long -- myself included. However, now that we've got the basic layers and interaction between all these planes of existence, there is an incredible amount of speculation to be done.

That's right; today's a Tinfoil Hat edition of Know Your Lore. If you are unfamiliar with the Tinfoil Hat concept, these are columns in which we take existing known lore and place our own spin on it to try and speculate on future events. None of the Tinfoil Hat columns should be taken as actual lore by any stretch of the imagination. However, there is a great deal of fun to be had in picking things apart and trying to predict, so let's see what we can come up with, shall we? But first, let's clear up the matter of demonic death.
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archimondearthasbolvar-fordragonbook-of-medivhcataclysmdark-portaldeathwingdraenorfeaturedguideguide-to-lorekil-jaedenknow your lorelich-kinglorelore-guidenerzhulold-godsoutlandrole-playrole-playing-guiderp-guidesunderingworld-of-warcraft-lorewow-guidewow-lorewow-role-playingwow-role-playing-guidewow-rpwow-rp-guidewow-rpingSun, 05 Jun 2011 16:00:00 -040099|19957030